Temperature needle all the way to hot

[andrewwynn]

The misfire can be a lot of things. Reset codes and see if they come back. Sometimes a misfire will put the car into safe mode and the engine will run like shit. Very likely why it stalled. Did the engine feel like it was running on three cylinders?



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[dkbjain]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

The misfire can be a lot of things. Reset codes and see if they come back. Sometimes a misfire will put the car into safe mode and the engine will run like shit. Very likely why it stalled. Did the engine feel like it was running on three cylinders?



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Thanks for the tip on the temperature gauge bug. I have had the car for 17.5 years and never noticed this. But it would be nice if this was the problem. I'll try starting the car again when I'm back home and see what happens.

Yes, the car was running rough due to the misfires. I have fairly new spark plugs and ignition coils, because I have had misfires in the past. But none recently until now.

-Danny

[dkbjain]

Here's an update. I got to look at the X5 further at lunchtime.

I checked the coolant and noticed that it was low. I had to add about 20 ounces to fill it up. (I read the entire system is 8.5 liters).

I cleared all the faults. Temperature was now 50F.

I started the car and everything was back to normal. Car was not running rough, no new fault codes, and the temperature gauge gradually moved from the left (cold) to the middle (normal). I left the car on for 20 minutes and drove it too.

I'm hoping that what happened this morning is a fluke, but we'll see.

Maybe the engine wasn't really hot this morning and it was the temperature gauge bug. I found that service bulletin on another thread and have attached it. But in my case I didn't really meet their conditions. Temperature was 0c instead of -10C. And I wasn't running full heat.

Maybe the engine really did get hot due to the coolant being low. Doesn't make sense to me that it would get all the way to hot that fast for coolant low.

Maybe the coolant thermostat was stuck closed this morning and the engine really was heating up. But I would think this would cause a fault code, and I didn't get one.

Anyone have any opinions?

Thanks.
-Danny